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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051226">Regalia [Excerpt]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MxMearcstapa/pseuds/MxMearcstapa'>MxMearcstapa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>F!Dimileth Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Byleth "Identity Crisis" Eisner, Canon Compliant, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dimileth Week (Fire Emblem), Dimileth Week 2020 (Fire Emblem), Divine Pulse (Fire Emblem), Divine Pulse Misuse (Fire Emblem), F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, Mentioned Sothis (Fire Emblem), Mutual Pining, POV My Unit | Byleth, Pining, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Sexual Tension, Spicy, Teacher-Student Relationship, dimileth, look at how much Byleth has grown, referenced tryst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:06:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MxMearcstapa/pseuds/MxMearcstapa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’ve talked about this, Dimitri.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “You need to stay focused.”<br/>“Of course, Professor,” he responded, the yearning in his voice unmistakable. Desire and distress swelled in tandem in Byleth. It seemed there was a lot they would need to say to each other after class ended.</p>
<p>An excerpt--in which, after the events of the Sealed Forest Snare, Byleth and Dimitri confront each other about the growing tension between them. Set at the beginning of Pegasus Moon before the Holy Tomb.</p>
<p>For Dimileth Week 2020, day 5: need</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth &amp; Sothis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>F!Dimileth Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Regalia [Excerpt]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an excerpt from a longer (to-be-posted!) work that occurs later in my slowburn Dimileth series, Lunar Haruspex, but I couldn't resist sharing for today's prompt &lt;3 </p>
<p>Context for this scene: Post-fusion with Sothis, Rhea has unearthed the Sothis Regalia and given it to Byleth. Having nearly lost Byleth to the darkness of Zahras, Dimitri has resolved not to lose her again--and to follow his feelings, especially after seeing her such "holy" garments.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byleth grinned all the way to her room.</p>
<p>Dimitri had never spoken to her like that before, not aloud, not in public, and not in a time that she had not undone. Since that disastrous night in the Goddess Tower, Byleth had pushed the idea of him out of her mind. At first it had been because the risk was too great—everything she gained from the monastery, burnt to ash in a moment of thoughtless passion—and then shortly after, all the energy she had left was tied up in sorrow and anger, nothing in her crying out for anything other than vengeance and to have her father back.</p>
<p>And Dimitri had been there for her in that, too. When she was too numb to move from her father’s desk, he made sure she was undisturbed in duty and in person. When she could do nothing but tremble, tears spilling down her face, he offered a steady shoulder and a warm hand at her back. And when the opportunity to strike down her father’s killer arose, he was there with a lance and steel in his gaze.</p>
<p>As she peeled off the holy raiments and tossed them on her bed, Byleth dared to dream of Dimitri again—of his eyes on her and his arms around her. He had been so forthcoming, so candid in his compliments. Was the change due to her transformation, as though fusing with the goddess had made her somehow charismatic? If so, Byleth supposed that might count as something of a benefit. On the other hand, Dimitri had been quite clear in his desire for her on the night of the ball. Not that they had been allowed to keep that moment, and it would have been a terrible mess anyway, just like Sothis had said—</p>
<p>Sothis.</p>
<p>Byleth exhaled slowly, staring at the corner of her room Sothis had frequented. It was empty now, and the solitude weighed in her chest like a stone. Her father’s death had ripped the air from her lungs. Losing Sothis was like losing the organ entirely. Now Byleth was truly alone, every part of the girl, the goddess, gone without a trace.</p>
<p>Byleth eyed the regalia on her bed, the spark of an idea taking hold. Perhaps not every part. She pulled the chair from her desk into the corner and draped the robes over it, arranging the crown and tying the ribbons so that, out of the corner of her eye, Byleth could fool herself for a moment into believing she was not the only one in the room.</p>
<p>She pressed her palms to her eyes as a wave rose in her. She had to focus. She had to teach.</p>
<p>She pulled on the rest of her mercenary outfit and returned to the Blue Lions classroom. The room was full, and her heart filled a little with it. The past week, she had been busy with Rhea, answering questions about her “experience” and making preparations for the ceremony to receive her “divine revelation”—as though Sothis could tell her anything else anymore. Byleth hoped she might return anyway, even for a moment. But so frequently had Rhea requested her presence that Byleth had not been able to speak to her students.</p>
<p>She had missed them terribly.</p>
<p>By their smiles, it appeared as though the feeling was mutual, though an undercurrent of discomfort was there as well. They looked away a little too quickly, their smiles a little too bright. Byleth leaned against her desk at the front of the room.</p>
<p>“Okay,” she said, looking around the room. “Ask me.”</p>
<p>And then she waited.</p>
<p>Timidly, Ashe raised his hand. She nodded to him.</p>
<p>“Did it hurt?” he asked.</p>
<p>Byleth smiled. “No, it didn’t hurt.”</p>
<p>Annette leaned forward. “What <em> did </em> it feel like?”</p>
<p>“Warm. Comforting. Like being held.”</p>
<p>Byleth crossed her arms. All at once, the questions came.</p>
<p>“Did you see the goddess?”</p>
<p>“What did she look like?”</p>
<p>“Did she say anything to you?</p>
<p>“Did she give you any special powers?</p>
<p>“Did she ask for anything in return?”</p>
<p>Chuckling, Byleth held her hands up. “I should have expected this.”</p>
<p>“You have to tell us, Professor!”</p>
<p>“Alright, alright.” Byleth laughed again. “I…did see her. She was…”</p>
<p>Small. Irascible. Opinionated.</p>
<p>“…she had a soothing presence. She didn’t ask for anything. She wanted me to protect you.”</p>
<p>Her students murmured, unsure of what to make of that. Byleth could see why. To them, she had been blessed. If they had been involved in that blessing, then the goddess had noticed them, too. She bit her lip. How it would have struck them to know the extent to which the goddess had noticed them. How much she had cared for them, or at least on Byleth’s behalf. And they deserved to be noticed. Each of them was special to Byleth beyond her ability to say.</p>
<p>“You didn’t say if she gave you any more power,” Felix said.</p>
<p>For the dozenth time, Byleth examined her hand, looking for a change, and shook her head. “I don’t think she did.”</p>
<p>“Right,” he said dryly. “Other than the ability to tear apart the sky.”</p>
<p>And…the power to rewind time. But she had been able to do that for quite awhile now. Her students chuckled nervously. Byleth strove for a reassuring smile.</p>
<p>“Other than that, yes. I’m not sure I could do it again.”</p>
<p>“Disappointing, but not unexpected,” Felix sighed. Several students called his name in exasperation. Byleth shrugged, still smiling. She had definitely missed this.</p>
<p>“Do you feel any differently, Professor?” Dimitri asked, something strange in his eyes. Byleth met his gaze levelly.</p>
<p>“No. I feel the same as I ever have.”</p>
<p>Even as she said it, Byleth knew it wasn’t true. She had not always been this…expressive. Reassuring. Uncertain. And those had all been small steps. What repercussions could such a large change have had on her that she couldn’t begin to imagine? She looked around the room again.</p>
<p>“I know there’s a lot of excitement happening, but please, I want you to treat me the same as you always have. I am still just your professor.” Byleth stretched as she stood. She walked past her desk to the blackboard. “All things considered, I suppose it’s a good day to revisit our faith magic. A brief refresher, and then to the training grounds.”</p>
<p>For a short time, everything was the same as it had been—with one notable exception. Her students were eager and knowledgeable, and Byleth found she was teaching them less than watching them help each other remember. Their sparring showcased their skill and familiarity with each other: the pairs were locked in tense stalemates, each student too aware of their opponent’s abilities for either to gain the upper hand. Watching them warmed her thoroughly.</p>
<p>If the rest of her students kindled something in her, Dimitri set her ablaze entirely. For the duration of the lecture, he leaned forward at his desk, resting on his elbows, his hands folded over his mouth. As far as Byleth could tell, he was staring at her the entire time, but she tried not to look at him. The look in his eyes was so charged with desire that when they made eye contact, she lost her focus entirely. At the training grounds, he looked over at her so frequently and failed to block so many blows that Byleth had to change the pairs and have him sit on the side to practice his faith magic independently—even though that put him nearer to her.</p>
<p>“We’ve talked about this, Dimitri.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “You need to stay focused.”</p>
<p>“Of course, Professor,” he responded, the yearning in his voice unmistakable. Desire and distress swelled in tandem in Byleth. It seemed there was a lot they would need to say to each other after class ended.</p>
<p>As though time wished to hurry towards their conversation, the end of class came too soon. The Blue Lions invited Byleth to come with them, and she declined, citing a need for rest, but that she’d see them at dinner. Chattering with relief, they trailed out of the training grounds. Balance had been restored for them, or something akin to it at least. At the entrance to the arena, Byleth stopped, told them she left her whetstone behind, and turned around. She heard Dimitri excuse himself politely from his friends and follow her. She glanced back. Before the doors closed behind them, Byleth saw Mercedes drag Sylvain and Dedue away with a smile. Behind the weapons rack in the center of the arena, she stopped. Dimitri stood across from her, hands at his sides.</p>
<p>“You wanted to see me after class, Professor?” he said softly, studying her.</p>
<p>Byleth was glad for the distance between them. She looked at him carefully. “You are distracted today.”</p>
<p>“I am.”</p>
<p>“And you know how dangerous that is.”</p>
<p>“I do.”</p>
<p>“So,” she said. Stopped. Flushed.</p>
<p>“So,” he said, closing the distance between them in a few easy steps. Byleth inhaled sharply. This would be a lot more difficult to diffuse with him so near. If she wanted to diffuse it at all.</p>
<p>Byleth shook her head to clear it. Of course she wanted to diffuse it, didn’t she? Wasn’t that why she asked to speak to him after class in the first place? To tell him to stop?</p>
<p>“So what can we do to change that?”</p>
<p>Dimitri glanced away, running a finger over his lip. “I’m not sure it can be changed, Professor. I must admit I find you quite distracting. ”</p>
<p>“<em>Dimitri</em>,” she said sharply, covering her mouth. She glanced around the arena. Thankfully, it appeared to be empty. “What if someone heard you?”</p>
<p>Dimitri considered a moment. “I suppose I would have to tell them the truth.”</p>
<p>Byleth’s ears rushed with sound. “The truth?”</p>
<p>“That I am desperate to turn your head. That I have been for months. That I refuse to fight it any longer.” He reached for her, fingers brushing her cheeks. His hands were blissfully warm, the look in his eyes dangerous. Byleth twitched her fingers, exerting every ounce of self-control not to move. To refrain from making a mistake.</p>
<p>“And forgive my impertinence,” Dimitri began as Byleth squeezed her eyes shut. “But if I’m not mistaken, I <em> have </em> turned your head…haven’t I?”</p>
<p>Increasingly and perilously so. Byleth wrapped her arms around herself and suppressed a shudder. Perhaps she could kiss him and undo it, another mistake whisked away into a timeline that existed only in her memories. But, she realized with a dull ache, that would not satisfy Dimitri. She had seen his determination when he had set himself to something, and he seemed to have…set himself on her. Delaying this meeting would only treat a symptom, not the cause itself; it would mean two moons more of avoiding interaction with him to prevent a mistake.</p>
<p>But would it be a mistake? The year was so close to ending. And he did not deserve that coldness from her.</p>
<p>Especially not when he was right.</p>
<p>“You have,” she admitted, opening her eyes again. Dimitri’s smile was exultant. Even the light from Sothis was not this bright. Sothis, who had thought their tryst in the Goddess Tower a mistake. She had said it was “not fated to be their time.” Did that mean they had a fated time? Byleth floundered in the net of her desire for any excuse left.</p>
<p>“But I’m…I’m your teacher.”</p>
<p>“You are a woman,” he said, voice low. He searched her face like he was trying to memorize her. “And an incredible one at that. When you disappeared into that darkness, I thought I had lost you for good. And then you came back. I won’t lose you again.”</p>
<p>Could now be their fated time, or was it another foolish indulgence?</p>
<p>There was but one way to know.</p>
<p>She took Dimitri’s hands and squeezed them. With a steadiness that surprised her, Byleth pulled them away from her face.</p>
<p>“Not here, Dimitri.”</p>
<p>He simply nodded. Accepted with no hesitation, as he always had. “Where?”</p>
<p>Byleth glanced around the training grounds again. Empty still. What would Sothis have thought? What would her <em> father </em> have thought? There was no one to answer her; they had both left her here alone.</p>
<p>She trusted Dimitri. From the beginning, he had supported her. He was the first to take a leap of faith and trust her. To believe in her. He had always been willing to include her. He had listened to her, no matter how little she said. He had shared himself and his dreams, his fears and vulnerabilities; he had laughed and cried and bled and killed with her. He had helped her avenge her father’s death and carried her home when Sothis left and joined her in a new way.</p>
<p>He was perhaps the single thing left she could count on.</p>
<p>“My room,” she said. “Tonight. After the lights are put out.”</p>
<p>Dimitri pressed a kiss to her knuckles and then pulled his hands away with a marked reluctance.</p>
<p>“Until tonight.”</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading. &lt;3 If you liked this piece, or if you have questions about what happened before or what is to come, please subscribe to my series, Lunar Haruspex. &lt;3 </p>
<p>If you enjoyed this piece, please leave a comment! It makes my day. I am slow, but I respond to them all. ^_^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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